Regular Meeting - 5/2/2023 6:30:00 Pm

Section 1: Gathering in Gilbert

Welcome, everyone, to the Gilbert City Council meeting on May 2nd, 2023. Tonight, we come together as a community to celebrate the beauty of unity and freedom that defines our town. Before we begin, I kindly ask you all to silence and put away your phones and devices. Yes, all of them. If you have more than one, please turn them off as well. Now, let us invite Reverend Steve Louder from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the podium for an opening prayer. Take it away, Reverend Louder, and happy birthday to you!

Section 2: A Prayer for Our Leaders

Thank you for being here tonight. Let us join together in prayer. Heavenly Father, beloved creator, we gather here as your children in the halls of the Gilbert City Council chambers to be part of this beautiful community that is filled with freedom. We are grateful for our mayor, Mayor Peterson, and we pray that he is granted wisdom, patience, love, and strength to fulfill his responsibilities. We express our gratitude for each member of the council: Bobby, Scott, Jim, Kathy, Young, and Chuck. We know that each one of them loves this community deeply, and we ask for blessings upon them in the form of continued kindness and courtesy. May they understand that the tone they set in this room will resonate throughout our wonderful town.

We have blessed them with the ability to speak freely and compassionately so that we may find unity in their words. We have bestowed upon them the wisdom to not just seek what is right but to do what is right. We are thankful for the religious leaders in our city and we pray for special blessings upon their places of worship. May these sacred spaces be filled with humble individuals who possess the power of humility.

Section 3: Embracing Diversity and Collaboration

In this diverse community, we recognize the importance of collaboration and understanding. Each one of us brings a unique perspective and set of experiences to the table. It is through embracing these differences that we can truly thrive as a community. Let us remember the words of great thinkers like Aristotle, Plato, Confucius, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, Voltaire, Rene Descartes, Galileo Galilei, Laozi, and many others who have shaped our world with